Influencer Marketing Basics

You have heard the term influencer marketing, but what does it mean? It is a simple idea, where you get one person (or group) to change the directionality of your brand with their influence on their audience.

You can accomplish this by reaching out and helping them with their specific pain points or by filling in gaps in information that those influencers seek. Once those influencers see that you can make life better in some way, they shift towards your brand, and their audience pays attention. However, how do you get that effect? By knowing how to reach the right influencers, and marketing your brand to them specifically.

Reaching the Right Influencers Takes Time and Research

There are a few steps that are necessary when it comes to reaching the right influencers for your type of business. You need to really understand them. Since over 90% of consumers will go with what an individual says over what a brand claims, you need to really know what these influencers are looking for, and what they can provide for your company.

Start your search by going to the social media accounts and blogs of influencers in your general market. However, don’t limit yourself to the traditional social media outlets. Remember, the visual appeal of Pinterest and Instagram attract nearly 60% of influencers out there, so make sure you are searching in the right places.

See what their issues are with brands or services out there. See what they see as the problems with what is currently available, or where they feel more information could be provided to people who care about that market, then communicate with them. Tell them who you are and how you can help. Find out what suggestions they have, and give their ideas some serious consideration.

Listen to their words, and provide them with a solution to the issues they mention. You may not speak to the right influencers at first, but keep talking. The ones you want are going to be around and likely watching the interactions that you have. People who actively speak about niches that your brand can cover are the people you want to speak with most, so get active, and stay that way, so they welcome you as part of their community.

How to Bring Influencers to Your Product

Step 1

First, you need to figure out what the pain points or gaps are for people in your market. Look at what influencers are searching for. Locate the problems or where information is just not available, and see why those issues exist. Once you narrow this down, you are going to then have to work on some type of a solution.

Step 2

Second, work through the solutions you can come up with until you find one that resolves the problems the most efficient way possible. Speak to the influencers about the problems they are having, and offer up the ideas for a solution you have come up with. Get their opinions about whether your solutions will work or not, and if not, why they believe each solution won’t work. Keep speaking with them until a solution that works, even if only for now, is found.

Step 3

Finally, share your solution with others. Talk about your solution with the influencers, and other people. Make sure people know you were working with the influencer on filling in those gaps or helping with current problems. Give them credit for part of the solution, if they indeed helped. Let the world know you are listening to those who have a problem, and that you are actively seeking solutions. This will get the attention of more influencers, and your dedication to helping solve problems is going to help them come to your side of the table more readily.

The Goals of Influencer Marketing

When you reach an influencer, you want them to make waves towards your brand. The ultimate goal is to have them point others towards your brand through linking their pain point solutions back to your website, or by suggesting your brand as the fix for a problem. By listening to these influencers in the first place, you provide an outlet for them to get the solutions they have been looking for. If you are ready to make influencer marketing a part of your brand, give us a call. We can help!

One Comment

Hi dear, I am Ella Hayes. Thanks for sharing your great article. I think, one of the biggest misconceptions about influencers is that they are someone with a large social media following. But an influencer, therefore, is someone who has the power to influence the perception of others or gets them to do something different. Influencers must have a combination of three key factors: reach, contextual credibility, and salesmanship. The higher these three factors, the higher the influence potential of an individual.